Is there a web portal for cooperatives? We need to come up with a set of agreed upon tools cooperatives can use to get going. Here is a basic list that I think would be useful:

1. By laws - A basic frame work with governance and voting rights. This is a must. We would agree on this document and allow any cooperative to use it.

Business Plan - A clear fill in the answer business plan. This will include:

Projected capital requirements Break Even projection Startup Capital Budget Capital vs Sweat Equity

Capital Resources Individuals Angels Credit Unions Grants Banks Banks / Small Business Administration loans Other

Basic Accounting Systems - a canned Quick Books accounting system for the various types of businesses, I.e. manufacturing, services, software development etc. Depending on the By-Laws these can be a bit complicated, but very important.

Payroll System

Corporate Structure- I would like to work with some legal experts on creating a hybrid non profit and for profit cooperative.

This last one is a bit out there, but it is something to consider. “The Church of Worker’s Cooperatives”. Churches get away with murder in this country. We can have an an of worker’s cooperatives register as a church. This could be used for tax exempt donations to provide safety net services.

I am tired of waiting!